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Jesslyn Mueller

author ● sojourner ● mother artist

  • About
  • Books
    • Journey: Advent for Sojourners
      • Journey Extras
    • The Sea & All Its Stars
    • The Haunting of Magnolia Woods
  • Newsletter
Write Like It’s Your Job 2021
On Writing

Write Like It’s Your Job 2021

JessicaJanuary 22, 2021January 15, 2021

I’ve heard it said goals are best achieved when they’re things you’re already doing. IContinue reading

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The Sea & all Its Stars: Revisions Update
On Writing

The Sea & all Its Stars: Revisions Update

JessicaJanuary 20, 2021January 15, 2021

In March 2021, it’ll be five years since I wrote my first “What if…” ponderingContinue reading

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5 Tips for Fighting Writing Fear
On Writing

5 Tips for Fighting Writing Fear

JessicaJanuary 18, 2021January 15, 2021

Every writer deals with fear. It’s a normal part of the life of a writer.Continue reading

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2020 Reading Wrapped
On Writing

2020 Reading Wrapped

JessicaJanuary 15, 2021January 15, 2021

It’s no surprise that I love books. Each year, I set a goal to readContinue reading

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Writing Lessons Learned in 2020
On Writing

Writing Lessons Learned in 2020

JessicaJanuary 6, 2021January 4, 2021

I set out for 2020 to be the year I write like it’s my job.Continue reading

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Recent Posts

  • Building a Writing Practice that Works for You
  • WIP: Diving into “The Little Mermaid”
  • Dear Writer, Don’t Despise Slow

jesslyn.mueller

Jessica
"And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sa "And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I'm dying, Are the best I've ever had" - Mad World Day 11: WIP Theme Song - For my #sidequestsummer project, Disappearing Girls (The Twelve Dancing Princesses X Roaring 20s), I've been listening to a lot of music from that decade and then going back to Postmodern Jukebox covers based on that era. I found two that I really like and fit where I see the story going, "Mad World" and "Chandelier." "But I'm holding on for dear life Won't look down, won't open my eyes Keep my glass full until morning light 'Cause I'm just holding on for tonight" - Chandelier, Sia I like the eerieness these songs, especially the Postmodern verisons, lend to the lyrics. A little haunting, a little trapped. #meetmybookcommunity #amdrafting #amwriting #writinginspiration #writingcommunity #writersofinstagram #writersofig #bookaesthetic
Jokes on you...I rarely ever finish one cup of cof Jokes on you...I rarely ever finish one cup of coffee. I know this is totally messing up my aesthetic (is this me being sarcastic? honest? I'll never tell...), but the original reel made me spit out my coffee and then when I lip synced (is that still the right word even if it's not singing?) along I spilled my coffee on myself. 🤣 I wish I had that on video because #onbrand. Hope you get a few good laughs today! (Also feel like I'm vibing the bride of Frankenstein with the hair.) #writerslife #writingcommunity #morninghair #morningcoffee #wakeupandslay jkjk #goreadabook #ishouldbewriting
We've hit the week before school, so I'm deep in p We've hit the week before school, so I'm deep in planning mode and these squares have taken a bit of a backseat. Day 10: Today's prompt for #meetmybookcommunity is to describe my writing style. 😬 That feels awkward. I'm not entirely sure how I'd describe my style. But here goes... · Lyrical. I like alliteration, assonance, consonance. And I like things in threes. 😉 · Wordy. I'm an overwriter down to my bones. It's funny that I've always preferred Hemingway over Faulkner, because I'd rather take the long, winding path than the short, staccato steps. I just want to tell the reader all the details I'm noticing in the scene and let these characters ramble on and on. · Sensual. In the sense of senses. (That's weird, isn't it?) With each character and scene I try to incorporate a little bit of each sense--what do they hear, feel, smell, see, taste? It's an area of growth I've been focusing on the last 2 years. · Deep dives with a mix of plot + character driven. I can't pick one. And it's not like one's in the driver's seat and the other is a passenger. No, they're both driving. Separately. Maybe. I deep dive into character arcs and their why's and themes and stuff that will probably never see the page. Because it's gotta be deep and connected. (For example, in #theseaandallitsstars Thaleia sees magic the color of nightshade, which genus is named after one of the Fates. Because fate and destiny all play a part in that story.) Day 8: Favorite "just one more episode" show...I don't watch as much TV as I use to and my tastes seems to ricochet from period pieces to comedy. This summer it's been The Last Kingdom (finally finished the series!), The Gilded Age, Never Have I Ever, and Derry Girls. #amwriting #writersofig #writerslife #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #writersdesk #fantasywriter
Convincing you to read The Inheritance of Orquidea Convincing you to read The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina...quirky, emotional, and magical intergenerational family story about the ramifications the choices we make have on our families for years to come. Have you read it? #whatshouldireadnext #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #booksaremagic #magicrealism #bookishlove #bookish #bookofthemonth #bibliophile
When I saw @c.a.farran post about Sidequest Summer When I saw @c.a.farran post about Sidequest Summer with the point of having fun and playing, I knew it was time to pull this idea out. Back in the winter I saw a picture that struck me as The Twelve Dancing Princesses, but in 1920s New York. I filed it away for one day. In July, as I was finishing the draft of Sophia's POV, this story idea kept interrupting, so in the vain of write what wants to be written this month I'm working on this as a short story. Read on ⭐️ // Girls are going missing. For the last six weeks, every Monday Mr. Monroe walks onto the tenth floor of The Daily Post to find another pair of worn out shoes sitting on a desk. Each week another Miss Remington, typists and secretaries for the newspaper, leaves without a trace. No two weeks notice, no request for a reference--they're just gone. Opportunities are plentiful in the city, but the only girls "missing" are the ones who also board on the top floor of the building. Their belongings where they left them. When his niece Lillian comes to work and board at The Daily Post, Monroe knows he must get to the bottom of the disappearing girls before his niece is next. He hires a private eye, James Quinn, to investigate. But the leads are slow and the remaining girls unwilling to talk, even as girls continue to disappear. When the eighth girl disappears, a shaken Lillian delivers Quinn a note with a clue that sounds more fairy tale than reality that sends Quinn and Lillian into the underbelly of the city. But can Quinn trust Lillian to tell the truth? Or is she part of a bigger scheme in the disappearing girls? /// I've got some holes to to work out and start drafting, but it's a fun idea to play with and I'm excited to see where it goes. 👠 I'm taking a break from Magnolia Woods for August as we transition back to school and I do a bit of research for the next section. #sidequestsummer #meetmybookcommunity #writingcommunity #writerslife #wip #writersdesk #wipinspiration
I'm joining #meetmybookcommunity for August...with I'm joining #meetmybookcommunity for August...with all the 'post nothing' days it seems doable. Five Random Facts: · I drove 3.5 hours today ferrying kids from this thing to that and never left the county. · I have tons of pictures like this hiding on my phone, but don't share them mostly because of selfie shame. · I like to sew and make costumes, but they seem to live in Never Finished Land (which is a hook on my bedroom wall). The most recent is sewing flowers on a big tulle skirt. · I use to really be into scrapbooking. Like big time. · I've got a thing about keeping closet doors closed, because you never know what you might let in. Tell me something random about you-- 📸: Azaleas in April (my yard), 2022 #writersofinstagram #writingcommunity #writerslife #myseasonalstory #sheisnotlost #doortomywonderland #fairyfolk #wanderingtales #writersdesk
Tell me about your town...what's something you lov Tell me about your town...what's something you love?⁠ ♥️ ⁠ I live in the fifth largest town in South Carolina, which sounds impressive but it's about 80,000 people. (After living in San Diego and Louisville... that's not quite big city.) I love that, at least in my favorite part of the city--Old Town, it can still have that small town feel. You run into friends, get to know the barista’s tattoos, read poetry on sidewalks. The library staff knows you by name and the bookshops know you even been through enough times they don't need to tell you the layout. Oh, and the old architecture doesn't hurt either. ⁠ 📷: Shepard Fairy mural at The Mercantile #smalltownlove #onlyinoldtown #livelocal #shopsmall #lovewhereyoulive #locallove #rockhill #southcarolina #onlyinoldtown #writinglife #writingcommunity
Back when summer was new and we were only in our f Back when summer was new and we were only in our first heat wave and we were filled with the hope of magical things. 🌾 And now nature feels brittle and I just want to stay inside. Here we're celebrating that it'll only get to 89° today (thanks to some rain). Basically, ten degrees lower than it's been. And praying for fall...which won't properly arrive until the end of October. Two days left in #campnanowrimo . I took yesterday off from writing to do a good bit of momming stuff and let my brain take a break. But today I'm diving back in and aiming to finish the last three chapters. 🌞 How are you spending your weekend? . . . #amwriting #writinglife #writerslife #fictionwriter #fantasyauthor #authorsofig #authorsofinsta #authorlife #authorgram #writergram #writingcommunity #forestfolk #quietthyme #myeverydaymagic #whimsicalwonderfulwild #gowildlyandslow #ofwhimsicalmoments #myseasonalstory #folkloreandfairytales #mymagicalmoments #quietinthewild #woodlandfairy #fairyfolk
Where do I apply for fairy tale status? ⁠👑 ⁠ We've got regulary bunnies in our yard. Sometimes they even hang out with the chickens. Then there's the hummingbird that hangs out by the kitchen window and the purple finches who think I grew elderberries just for them. Alright, if you had a familiar what animal would I try be? 🐇 . . . #writerslife #writingcommunity #storyteller #myseasonalstory #forestfolk #fairycore #quietthyme #myeverydaymagic #wanderingtales #folkandstory #littlestoriesofmylife #ofwhimsicalmoments #quietinthewild #woodlandfairy #fairyfolk #amwriting #writinglife #fictionwriter #fantasyauthor #authorsofig #authorsofinsta #authorlife #authorgram #writergram
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